Study to Use Oral Losartan to Decrease the Risk of Postoperative Scarring Following (ACL) Reconstruction

Overview

The purpose of this study to investigate the effect of using losartan (a blood pressure lowering drug with anti-scarring properties) on preventing primary postoperative arthrofibrosis (formation of abnormal scar tissue) in the knees in participants undergoing anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) repair surgery of their knee.

Losartan, an angiotensin-II receptor blocker (ARB), approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of hypertension and diabetic nephropathy, has garnered recent interest in the field of orthopedic surgery as an anti-fibrotic (anti-scarring) agent. Losartan's primary mechanism of action as an anti-hypertensive involves acting as a receptor antagonist for angiotensin II, a peptide produced by the liver which causes vasoconstriction, release of anti-diuretic hormone from the pituitary gland, and release of aldosterone from the adrenal glands, among other functions. Losartan secondary function is to act as a TGF-β1 blocker. TGF-β1 has been implicated in pro-fibrotic pathways in multiple organs systems. Losartan, initially as a treatment for hypertension and diabetic nephropathy, was found to have benefits against fibrosis in the renal system. As a result, the use of losartan has gained interest in several other fields in medicine, including plastic surgery for wound healing and keloid prevention, in ophthalmology to prevent corneal scarring, and orthopedic surgery. The potential use of losartan presents an attractive anti-fibrotic prophylaxis candidate against the formation of postoperative arthrofibrosis following ACLR.

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Eligibility

Locations (1)

Outcomes

Central Contacts